Snapshots of Divergence
by alescA Munroe
Summary: Kairi was chosen by the Keyblade and travels with Selphie and Fuu. A collection of events from Delena/Aneled Hupp's and my Kingdom Hearts AU. Warnings: violence, slightly questionable relationships, goop, AU. Focuses mainly on Kairi, Selphie, Fuu.
1. Five Times Selphie Was Afraid

Disclaimer: Standard.

Notes: Snapshots from Delena/Aneled Hupp's and my Kingdom Hearts AU, where Kairi is the one chosen by the Keyblade and Selphie and Fuu are traveling with her to find Sora and Riku, who were seduced by the Dark Side of the Fo- Maleficent. One day it will all be posted as three full-length fics- Divergence, Severed Chains, and Redemption (KH1, Chain of Memories, KH2). Today is not that day.

Lots of spoilers for if/when Delena and I write the AU as a whole and not in snapshots. The first two take place during Divergence, third is in Severed Chains, and the last two feature events from Redemption. Reading this one clears up most of who's doing what.

~o~0~o~

1)

"There may never be a way for you to return to your home," Leon says and Selphie nods. It sounds pessimistic of her, but she didn't expect returning to be an option. What with the Darkness that seemed to cover all of Destiny Islands, she didn't think there would be anything to return to.

They learn magic from Aerith and true combat from Yuffie and Squall, and at one point, Selphie goes off by herself to another district. The nunchaku is still foreign to her, almost but not quite like her jump rope, and fresh calluses are mixed with healing burns from disagreeable Fire magic on her hands. She isn't ready to fight the big Heartless, not by any stretch of the imagination, but there's something she just hast to _know_.

Yuffie finds her hours later, doubled over in an alley in the furthest district and hyperventilating. Selphie doesn't explain, doesn't know _how_ to explain, that Traverse Town and its lack of visible sky, sea, and earth feels so _wrong_, and what terrifies her more than anything is the thought that she'll die on this patchwork world where everything feels -_is_- man-made and not alive.

2)

An arc of black comes down at Selphie's head, and the only things keeping her from losing said body part are long hours of practice in Traverse Town and the fact that Riku always opens a fight the same- "Riku?!" she exclaims in disbelief as she blocks another powerful hit. "You're alive! We thought you were gone-"

"Yeah," he sneers, and Selphie nearly drops her nunchaku. For all Riku's competitiveness and drive to be the best, he's never been outright _cruel_, least of all to her. They'd somehow bonded on the islands despite not having much at all in common; she never laughed at his dreams and he never mocked her need to ensure Kairi's safety. "Sorry to crush your hopes."

"Riku, what's gotten _in_ to you?" Selphie blocks each slash of his odd, hinged blade, less out of a wish to fight than a strong desire to keep living. Because there's something wrong here, something she doesn't understand. "We didn't know you were alive, or we'd have _looked_ for you, you _know_ that!"

The nunchaku is swept from her hands and Riku pushes her against the side of a building. "You abandoned us," he accuses, eyes bright with some otherworldly light. "You and Kairi both, you didn't care that Sora and I had disappeared. You've already replaced us!"

"We would never replace you two," she whispers, and tries to find some trace of Kairi's friend in this bitterly angry teen.

Dark fire blooms in Riku's hand, mere inches from Selphie's face. "You're lying."

In that moment, she honestly thinks she might die.

3)

Larxene's laugh is high and cruel as she shreds through Selphie's Blizzard cast and attacks Kairi head-on. "Silly little girl," she scorns, batting away the Keyblade and nunchaku as though they were nothing. Without even looking, she casts a Thunder that drives Fuu back. "You honestly think that bit of frost will stop me?"

_All elemental magics have their opposites,_ Aerith had told the girls so long ago, and Selphie should have remembered. Her ice was a boon against Axel's fire, but only enhanced Vexen's wintry attacks and seems useless against the lightning Larxene commands. Kairi's own lightning-based attacks only seem to fuel Larxene's, and Fuu's Aero casts can only give them so much of an advantage.

Selphie swings her nunchaku onto her back and peels off her gloves. "Giving up already?" Larxene crows as she dives at the melee soldier, kunai raised for a devastating attack.

Fuu, still half paralyzed from that last shock, miscalculates her cast and the Aero only drives the Organization member faster at Selphie. That works out fine for Selphie, though; she isn't sure she could hit Larxene if the woman were farther, her hands-and the rest of her, for that matter- are shaking so hard. Selphie lets the fear show in her eyes, knowing Larxene will take it as fear of _her_ and not the spell that none of the girls had ever properly mastered. Kairi and Fuu because they never needed it, Selphie because that brand of magic still gives her nightmares.

"Fire!"

4)

Twilight Town looks like Hallow Bastion- gutted by fire and fighting, and devoid of hope. Around the girls, the townspeople have slowly begun the process of salvaging what they can. Kairi finds an old acquaintance of Fuu's in the graveyard, digging new plots. "He did it for no reason," Hayner finishes the account, shaking his head as he leans on the shovel wearily. Olette is placing flowers on graves nearby and Pence sets a marker- prominently marked with a name Selphie doesn't know- at the burial place Hayner has just finished digging. "Just appeared and razed this place. If Seifer hadn't hurt him as bad as he did, he'd still be at it."

"The Sora I knew wouldn't have done this," Kairi declares, still holding out hope that under all the Darkness and destruction, the boy she grew up with still exists.

Selphie is afraid that boy may be long gone.

5)

Keyblade rings against Keyblade as Kairi fights Sora one on one, for what may be the last time. Sora had declared it winner-take-all, and that could be his downfall here. The Darkness in him has been unstable lately, slower to heed his call, and Selphie can see the slips, the slight hesitations he has. All Kairi needs is to summon the Light inside her to drown out his Dark and it'll be _over_, they'll have Sora back and things will start getting better again-

Sora dive-rolls and springs up to throw all his weight behind his blade and, without warning, a portal opens behind Kairi and both fall through. "Kairi!" Selphie, Fuu, and Riku shout, but the portal shuts as fast as it opens. Selphie feels her heart stop as she realizes that the princess is gone, she's failed her mission, the one hope for the worlds is somewhere Selphie can't follow. Fuu rounds on Riku almost immediately, demanding, "Where?"

Riku shakes his head, hands curling into fists. "They could be anywhere," he says. "We're just going to have to trust Kairi to beat Sora and get him back. She's done more with less."

Selphie fights back the urge to snap, "But she had _me_ with her!" and focuses on projecting absolute faith in Kairi.

Still, that nagging fear refuses to stay in the back of her mind, the fear that her princess is far beyond her reach, and no amount of wishing or belief will bring her back.


	2. SelphieSnapshot: Past, Future, Present

Disclaimer: The usual

Notes: This one spans from Divergence, through Severed Chains, and the beginning of Redemption.

~o~0~o~

When she was little- well, _younger_, since Selphie will never be anyone's definition of big- Selphie believed in fairy tales. Every long journey ended happily, the dragon was defeated-well, they've defeated _a_ dragon, and she thinks it should count for something- and the point is, the heroes did what they set out to do and came back just fine for it. Better than fine, even. With new friends, new loves, and never the thought that things _wouldn't_ turn out in their favor. Before, magic was a fun, sparkly idea and it didn't hurt to learn or to use and no _way_ could enemy fire keep her down for long or scare her at all. When she was young, she'd always pictured Riku and Sora and maybe Tidus and Wakka and definitely Irvine right beside her, fighting to protect- or on the very slim chance of losing her, to retrieve- the Princess. The adventure would be over by lunchtime, and they'd all go home happy.

Sometime in the future, she knows she'll have regrets. Not just of the 'could have done X better' variety, but for losing the boys to the Dark. For losing her _Princess _to the Dark, even though Kairi is Light enough that she managed to come back of her own volition and under her own power. For _forgetting _her Princess in Neverland and the white castle Oblivion. She knows this journey might not end well, and that she'll be lucky if even one of them makes it home. If a home is still left to find. Even if they all make it back, Selphie knows they won't be anything close to 'fine' for a long time and she knows she won't _quite_ fit back where she used to be. She doesn't know if she will ever look at stormy nights or island bonfires the same anymore, and knows that even when they stop fighting and long after this is over, she'll still dream of conjured black fire next to her face and in the hand of a friend.

Now… Now Selphie _knows_ things might not go well, but she _believes_ more than anything that they _will_. It's her Princess at the lead and a new friend at her side as they search for Sora and Riku, the two who should havebeen protecting Kairi and not fighting her. Now, Selphie is afraid of fire and determined not to let that stop her._ Now_, Selphie is a force to be reckoned with, and she is _going_ to get her friends back.


	3. Three Birthdays Kairi Remembers Best

Disclaimer: Standard.

Notes: Pre-KH, during Divergence, and post-Redemption

1

The first birthday Kairi remembers is her first day on Destiny Islands. She didn't remember anything but her name, not even her home. Sora had given her a gap-toothed smile and declared, "Then today is your birthday."

Riku and Sora got into an argument as to whether or not that was a silly idea or not, while Tidus and Wakka just grinned and wished her a happy birthday. Selphie started planning a party complete with cake and ice cream. The party ended up just being the six of them on the beach with cookies smuggled from home and a cake drawn in the sand with Riku's play sword.

It remains to this day Kairi's favourite birthday party ever.

2

Keyblade rang against Keyblade as Sora blocked Kairi's thrown weapon and was thrown back by the lightning that accompanied it. Kairi blocked Riku's hit just as her key reappeared in her hands and, taking a leaf out of Fuu's book, cast Aero to give her enough room to check on her teammates. Selphie was eerily still on the ground and Fuu barely took the time to cast a stronger Aero to keep Sora at bay while she pulled out a Hi-Potion and more or less forced it down Selphie's throat.

Riku came in close instead of using his own weapon's ranged ability, forcing Kairi to do the same. Casting at this range was suicidal, Thunder and Fire would both hurt her as well, and she hadn't the same handiness with Freeze as Selphie. This was also true for Riku, he couldn't use his Dark Fire, but he was still faster than her.

Suddenly Riku's Keyblade lengthened and slammed hard into Kairi and she found herself on her back, the sharp edges of the weapon pressing against her from hip to clavicle. Out of the corner of her eye, Kairi could see Sora holding his own weapon against Fuu's neck, his foot hovering dangerously over Selphie's throat. Riku grinned viciously and leaned in, the pressure fraying the cloth of Kairi's top and a line of red appearing on her skin. "Happy Birthday, Kairi," he said, and he and Sora were gone as suddenly as they had appeared.

The girls didn't move for a long time.

3

Destiny Islands hasn't changed in their absence, Kairi finds, walking along the beach on the far side of the play island. Younger Islanders have command of her old haunts, all the places she had played with Riku and Sora. She wonders briefly if they have found the 'secret place', and seen the drawings on the walls, maybe added their own. If they race along the same paths Riku and Sora did, believe in the legend of the paopu fruit.

"Kairi!"

The Princess of Heart looks up, sees her Melee Soldier waving at her from further down the beach. Riku and Sora and fighting a cloth onto a board lying over two short barrels while Fuu stands nearby with a brown bag filling her arms. Kairi jogs over as Fuu sets the bag down on the makeshift table-Kairi realizes with a start that the cloth is the same one they had planned to use as a sail for the raft- and Selphie begins digging around in the bag. A cake appears, the fact that it's a regular rectangle cements the assumption that Selphie hadn't been tasked with making it. The icing job, lots of purple with splashes of yellow and green and surprisingly not tacky at all is probably the combined efforts of Selphie and Fuu. Sora pulls out a plate of slightly lopsided cookies and smiles a little sheepishly. Punch and flatware are next out of the bag and soon they are settled around the low table.

"Make a wish," Selphie encourages as Riku lights the candles with a flick of his fingers.

It's a far cry from her last birthday on this beach-and knowing Selphie, where they are sitting is exactly where they found her- but Kairi finds herself content for the first time since they returned from their journeys. There is precious little she could want from the Islands beyond what and who are with her now.

She closes her eyes and makes her wish.


	4. KairiSnapshot: Finest Hour

Disclaimer: Standard.

Notes: Set at the end of Divergence

~o~0~o~

They stand together. With Kairi in the center, flanked by Selphie on her right and Fuu on her left, they go to what may very well be their deaths. Selphie is fairly vibrating with energy and Fuu's grip on her chakram is as sure as ever, a gleam of anticipation in her eyes, and that's when it hits Kairi.

This is the most pivotal event in their entire lives and nothing, not if they get the boys back, not if they have to save the worlds three times over, will ever measure up to what they are walking to now. This is the moment that will define who they are for the rest of their lives, what they will look back on and never ever regret. This is what, if anyone were here to see, would say is their greatest hour.

Ansem approaches, and the sheer intensity of his presence would stagger anyone else, anyone who had gone through a _second_ less of what these three have endured. Fuu drops into a fighting stance and Selphie swings out her nunchaku with nothing less than absolute control, a sharp contrast to the wild and absolutely unrepentant grin on her face. "Ready, princess?"

Kairi feels a similar expression settle on her face as she summons Oathkeeper, her first and always best Keyblade. "Let's make this count."

And launches forward into forever.


	5. KairiSnapshot: Say

Disclaimer: Standard.

Notes: Severed Chains arc. Spoilers for events in Divergence.

~o~0~o~

Kairi knows this Aerith isn't real, is one constructed from her memories, but she needs to tell some form of Aerith this, because she won't get another chance. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she says, looking down. "I mean, I get that you're just a memory, but-"

"It's all right." Memory-Aerith gathers her into a warm hug, just like the real Aerith used to do. "There's nothing you could have done."

"But-!" Kairi starts to protest. She's the Keyblade Princess, she saved whole worlds, how was it that she couldn't save someone who meant something to her?

"Be careful, Kairi," Memory-Aerith cautions, stepping away. "Your memories will try to fool you, make you second guess yourself. Be strong, and trust in your Light."

"Hey Kairi!" Selphie calls, waving to the princess from on top of a nearby building. "Fuu found the way out!"

Kairi turns to say goodbye to Aerith, but the flower girl is gone.


	6. AerithSnapshot: Arrival

Disclaimer: Standard

Notes: Let it never be said that Aerith does not believe in tough love. Beginning of Divergence.

~o~0~o~

She arrived out of nowhere, as most of those who come to Traverse Town tend to do, disoriented and shaking with fever, but not nearly so off-balance that she can't land a hit when Aerith draws near. One red eye focuses on the flower girl, who watches and waits for the newcomer to realize that Aerith won't hurt her. "You don't look well," Aerith offers as the girl turns away somewhat dismissively. "Why don't you come to the house and I'll have you healed in no time, hm?"

"Find Seifer," the albino says shortly and begins to walk away.

Aerith sighs and does what she does when Leon won't admit to being hurt- she hits the girl over the head with her staff, knocking her out. It occurs to her that she did not ask the girl what her name is, but answers can wait until the girl's fever is lowered.


	7. EnsembleSnapshot: Training

Disclaimer: Standard

Notes: A little humor for the beginning of Divergence.

~o~0~o~

It was plain to see that Kairi's fighting lessons with Leon weren't going well at all. Selphie winced as the gunblader batted aside the redhead's attack like it was nothing. "It's been over an hour," she whispered to Yuffie, fiddling with the chain on her new nunchaku. She wasn't out there fighting because she and Aerith had discovered the hard way that Fire magic didn't agree with Selphie, and so the young girl's hands were bandaged until Cid could find a Potion for the damage. "Think he'll cut her some slack?"

"Not a chance," Yuffie whispered back. From the look on Kairi's face, what the man had just said was anything but complimentary. "Squall's a meanie like that-"

"That's _it_, I've _had_ it with you!" Kairi shrieked and flung her Keyblade at Leon's head. The weapon flew fast and slammed Leon's face before winking out of existence briefly and reappearing in Kairi's hand.  
Leon looked stunned for a brief moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backwards.

"You go, Princess!" Selphie crowed, doing a victory dance.

Yuffie's reaction was less thrilled. "AERITH! Kairi just killed Squall!"


	8. FuuSnapshot: Simple Enough

Disclaimer: Standard

Notes: Fuu through the first arc, Divergence. Abridged.

~o~0~o~

It starts out simple enough. Fuu is home when she goes to bed and then she isn't when she wakes up and creatures born of pure shadow begin chasing her. Fuu does the only thing she can without the back-up and aid of her posse- she fights and she runs and then she fights some more when there is nowhere else left to run. Then a young woman with green eyes and a staff kicks the ass of every shadow- Heartless, she calls them- and says, "There are a couple other people I think you should meet."

Kairi is a redhead who has no idea how to wield the giant key that more or less just came to her and Selphie is sunshine personified with no more idea than Fuu about what's going on, but she treats it as an adventure vice a serious problem and Fuu thinks Aerith is crazy if she thinks Fuu will travel around the worlds with these two about a problem that isn't even hers.

Fuu goes.

She tells herself it's only until they get her home, until she is back with her posse and knows they are safe and after that, she will leave Kairi and Selphie to their own devices. She tells herself the girls' stories about the two boys they are searching for- Riku and Sora and how something is wrong with them and Riku put a serious fear of fire into Selphie when they met in Traverse Town- don't matter, only Seifer and Rai and _home_ matter. She tells herself not to get involved.

Still.

Fuu finds herself caring about her new teammates more than she means to and protecting them even when it puts her in danger and feeling disappointment just as keenly as they do when they see Sora and Riku time and again and never get them to come back. She feels their joy when they beat Ansem and Riku and Sora look like they've _finally_ pulled their heads out of their asses and are ready to come home-

And then Riku has to help the mouse king close the doors and Sora just vanishes as all the worlds start to piece together and then- and then they're chasing again.

To think it had started so simply.


	9. RikuSnapshot: The Adventure Begins

Disclaimer: Standard

Notes: At the very beginning of it all.

~o~0~o~

Riku holds out his hand, but no hope that Sora will actually take it. In all their years of friendship, Riku has never been the hand-holding type and Sora held hands only when trying to help Kairi keep up with running or when Selphie threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't when she was trying to balance on the rails of a fence. Boys don't hold hands, after all.

But right now, Riku is surrounded by power like he never even _dreamed_ of, the Dark licking at his heels and swelling around him and it's all just _right here_ waiting to be channeled. And Riku wants to share it with Sora, with the one other person on the islands who could possibly leave and keep up with Riku. Kairi may have come from off the islands, but she doesn't remember it and doesn't want to leave as much as Riku. No one does. Tidus and Wakka don't care to leave the only place they've ever known and Selphie is content to be a so-called princess' champion in a nowhere land and Kairi wants to go only because Sora and Riku are and only Sora out of all of them sees leaving as the adventure that it would be.

Riku holds out his hand and waits because even if Sora doesn't take his hand, he will join in the adventure that the Darkness promises. Light like he's never seen catches his eye; Riku thinks it's the Darkness that makes Kairi glow and Selphie appear as a miniature sun behind her. The girls call the boys' names, and Riku thinks for a second that Sora will turn away because he sees a smaller but similar light flicker in Sora-

A hand curls around Riku's and the Darkness surges around them.

_Let the adventure begin._


	10. EnsembleSnapshot: Invincible

Disclaimer: Standard

Notes: post-second fight with the Guard Armor. Apologies for the lack of order when it comes to these clips. Double apologies for the long time between posts.

~o~0~o~

After the crash of weapons and howling of Darkness and shouts summoning various magic, the silence is both welcome and deafening. Kairi stares at where Traverse Town's keyhole had just been, uncomprehending. Selphie blinks and is the first to break the silence. "We did it!" she crows, jumping up and down like she has forgotten that she got thrown into a wall more than once. Knowing Selphie, she did forget, but her enthusiasm is catching, and even Fuu has a small smile on her face. "Kairi, you did it! Fuu did it, too! We all did it together!"

"Careful," Fuu chastises when Selphie trips on a bit of broken cobblestone and catches her arm with a reproachful look, but even that cannot stop Selphie's excited cheering.

Kairi grins and laughs and pumps her fist into the air because _ha, _Leon! She totally did it! In the back of her mind, Kairi knows that there are other worlds that need to be locked, other Heartless to fight, and it might be harder on the next world, and the next world after that, but, for right now, they are invincible.


End file.
